The Zeitgeist Of Art: Our Current Condition

ACCORDING to the German philosopher Georg Hegel, art is reflected by the culture of the time in which it is created and is influenced by the Zeitgeist. A large part of who we are is shaped by our environment and upbringing and more often than not this is reflected in the creative work we produce.

However, in the modern age of information, boundaries become blurred by globalization. Art springs from ideas taken from all kinds of places and experiences both direct and vicarious. In an attempt to document this creative diversity, 856 Gallery curators Chris Fussner and Sebastian Estavez, along with founder Annie Chen, present to the Cebuano art scene the second show of Fortuna Circuit, “Our Current Condition.”

Pleasantly crowded room

“Fortuna Circuit is an exploration of rising spaces. We wanted to create a show that is fun and not intimidating to audiences. In the first show, we looked at a Cebu survey show, displaying a wide array of styles, media, and age, all from Cebu. This most recent show (Our Current Condition) is looking at the Philippines with artists from the Visayas, Luzon, and Mindanao,” Fussner explained in an interview.

“(Our Current Condition) also examines the current wave of creativity especially in the Manila scene and how that can spread across the Philippines. In many ways the curation was done in an archipelagic mindset: the Philippines has over 7,000 islands so we were thinking how to also translate this mindset of the archipelago into a space,” the curator adds.

Bart Brothers and Siamese RatSheena Macinig with Beth of 856G Gallery

856 Gallery opened “Our Current Condition” last March 23 and then hosted a curator’s night for the exhibit on April 3. On display for a few more weeks this summer, the exhibit features video art, sound art, photography, sculptures, installation art, and wall-bound paintings of about 40 artists from around the country.

While Estavez hopes to see new forms or style of art in future Fortuna Circuit exhibits, Fussner aims to continue showcasing the work of young Filipino artists.

“We’ve never really thought of any grand goal with Fortuna, the process of connecting work from different places at our gallery says a lot already. I don’t want to say what the future is, let’s keep it a surprise,” Fussner says teasingly.